A quick question: How big a cabinet is needed to efficiently run a US$223 billion economy?

Well, in the case of Singapore (estimated 2007 GDP of US$222.7 billion at Purchasing Power Parity and an estimated per capita GDP (PPP) of US$48,900), it just needs a cabinet of 36 officials, as per the latest cabinet reshuffle announced by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Those 36 officials comprise:

1 prime minister, 1 senior minister, 1 minister mentor, 2 deputy prime ministers, 15 ministers,

7 senior ministers of state, 4 ministers of state, 4 senior parliamentary secretaries and 1 parliamentary secretary.

And Indian Singaporeans have done good in the Singapore cabinet reshuffle too:

S Jayakumar (Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security)

Vivian Balakrishnan (Minister for Community Development, Youth & Sports)

Tharman Shanmugaratnam (Minister for Finance)

K Shanmugam (Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs)

Balaji Sadasivan (Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs); and

S Iswaran (Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry)

That's one deputy prime minister and three full ministers helming important portfolios like finance and law.

Singaporean Malays haven't done too badly either in the Singapore cabinet reshuffle:

Yaacob Ibrahim (Minister for Environment and Water Resources)

Zainul Abidin Rasheed (Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs)

Masagos Zulkifli (Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education & Home Affairs)

Hawazi Daipi (Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower & Health); and

Mohamed Maliki Osman (Parliamentary Secretary for National Development)

That’s one full Malay minister.

Is it logical to compare the size (and composition) of the latest Singapore cabinet with the latest Malaysian cabinet announced by the Malaysian prime minister recently? Are we comparing ‘grapes’ and ‘apples’ (as a prominent Malaysian politician, who shall remain nameless, said in a pre-election speech)?

After all, Malaysia's estimated GDP in 2007 is US$358 billion (US$357.9 billion at Purchasing Power Parity, estimated per capita GDP (PPP) is US14,400).

So, maybe, a bigger Malaysian economy (as measured by GDP) does need a bigger cabinet to run it and the country. Or, maybe, the complexities of the Malaysian political system demand a large cabinet.

Or, maybe, and this is a naughty thought, the Singapore cabinet members are better at multi- tasking and have a better supporting bureaucracy and civil service than their Malaysian counterparts.

But it does make you think, doesn't it?